Empathy
by Mkatsi
Summary: Xander gets the aspect of an empath demon and learns something about Spike.


Life

Author: Mkatsi

Rating: U

Pairings: Semi Spike/Xander (more friendship)

Feedback: Yes Please

Disclaimer: The boy's aint mine.

Distribution: Please ask and let me know where it's going.

Written: 5 years back

Summary: Xander gets the aspect of the demon, empathy and he learns something about Spike.

The demon snarled, it's wolf like jaws snapping as it lunged forward, it screamed in an unidentifiable language, Xander felt the power hit him, full in the chest sending him flying backwards, his head swam in a purple haze and the crackle of raw magick was deafening. As suddenly as it had started the power was gone, and the creature apparently dying on the end of some slayer related rage.

Xander groaned, his head still swimming, the impact of solid ground against his body hadn't helped the matter. A hand came into his clouded field of view and waved around irritatingly.

"Oi, whelp, you alright?"

Xander groaned again. Then tried to bat the offending hand away but his strength was feigning. The other hand grabbed his batting one, a wave of emotion swept of Xander as flesh met cool flesh, everything was a blur of rage and blood lust, beneath that tremors of other things, compassion, loss, anxiety and pain, so much pain. As soon as he homed in on what that particular feeling was, his brain clung to it, each racking wave of sheer heart tearing pain. He wanted to cry and scream and rage and then, then it was gone. Everything stopped and he was back to being Xander, with just the regular emotions that he felt from day to day, and yeah there was loss and pain but right now most of his pain was coming from his chest where the magik had blasted him, and his back where he had hit the earth. He realised that somewhere in the lifting fog that someone was speaking to him and he homed in on the faint sounds

"….just breath ok boy? C'mon Harris, breath, in and out in and out…BUFFY GET OVER HERE WOULD YA?...Xander! You getting there? Can you hear me now?"

Xander let a few gears in his brain register what to do next,

"Yeah, yeah, Spike I'm fine, well fine if you don't count the whole being knocked out again and having the whole 'big bruise on my ass again' thing going on"

"Right, well good, c'n you get up with out blacking out on us then?"

Just then something blonde and bouncing and radiating triumph came bouncing up,

"Hey, Spike what the hell were you shouting me for you're….Oh, shit Xan, you Ok? What happened?"

"Boy, got a full on surge of summit purple and powerful in the chest and then made good friends with the floor here, tried to help him up but he blacked on me or summit similar anyhow"

"yeah, anyway, like I told bleachie here, I'm fine- just- can you help me up?"

A small hand was extended to Xander and he took it gratefully, the same thing as happened last time, happened again but he was more ready for it, and the emotion wasn't nearly as intense this time, now he just felt power coursing through him sheer, adrenaline, pulsing though every fibre of him.

"wow"

He commented offhandedly to no one, the hand and power left and an arm was slung round him while he was helped to walk back to the Magick box.

After the usual documenting of the slay and theories on friends and/or family of said deceased demon was discussed Xander decided he'd better speak up,

"Um…G-man?"

The older man frowned at the mention of the so hated nickname but looked to Xander anyway

"Yes?"

"Well, its just, that magick I was hit with…?"

"What?"

Oh-oh, the watcher now seemed ticked off- did he forget to mention the magick before- oh yeah, well not his fault, he had been feeling kinda…fuzzy.

"Woops, I forgot about that sorry Giles, yeah apparently the dog faced boy hit Xan with some purple spell, got him in the chest"

This comment came from the corner where the still hyper slayer was juggling a stake

"Dear Lord, are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine, little um fuzzy, it's just, that well….give me your hand"

"what?"

"Come on Giles just do it"

The English man extended a cautious hand, as if convinced Xander had a buzzer concealed in his palm, Xander reached out himself and grasped in firmly, a rush came over him, rather subdued but there all the same, slight worry, a solidity and calm that overlaid everything, that was enough and Xander pulled back. Giles looked questioningly at him as if he lost his mind

"You didn't feel it?"

"Feel what exactly Xander?"

"That rush, like um, emotions washing over me I guess that time it was umm gentle that time?"

"Xander are you telling me that when you touched my hand you felt emotion that wasn't yours usually?" 

"yes?"

"and this started just after you were hit by demonic magicks?"

"yeah I guess"

"right then."

"Shit"

"well yes that pretty much sums things up Xander, what happened the other times? Exactly."

Expectant eyes were turned on the dark haired boy and he sighed knowing yet again he had managed to get in the may of some freaky mojo that wasn't going to be fun and would undoubtedly lead to a long and boring research session"

"Ok, well, I was hit with the blast and it was all kinda phycadelic and purple y'know and then I hit the floor, which wasn't fun, and then went a bit fuzzy and that's when Spike turned up and he said 'Oy! Welpp y' aaawrite?""

An indignant "OI" came from the corner in which the bleached blonde was sat in at the imitation and completely farcical cockney accent.

"Then he put his hand out to help me, and I grabbed it and then it was like all these feelings were rushing into me"

"I just have that affect on people pet"

"Oh ha ha, Spike, it wasn't that idiot it was more like, like….um it was strong and kinda scary in an 'I want to rip things apart with my bare hands' way, and then like more normal things but so….tragic"

"Tragic?" asked the intrigued watcher.

"Yeah y'know like really painful and sad, and then it went and Spike was talking to me again."

"That's all well and good Harris but you forget the part where you glazed over on me, like he was blacked out but his eyes were open."

"Ok, then what"

"well then Buffy came over and she helped me up and it felt all sugar rushy and powerful"

"well, based on what you've told me Xander it seems that you've picked up an aspect of the demon"

"crap…wait what did I pick up"

"I believe you have inherited the demons Empathy"

"What so I care more now?"

"No, no Xander the actual power of Empathy, allowing you to feel accurately the feeling of someone close by you"

"Great…wait so all that stuff I felt was actually you guys?"

"well yes I believe so, now the best thing I can recommend is an good nights rest for now, and we'll start research in the morning for now, it seems that the power is in its weaker first stages so if you avoid physical contact with anyone then you wont be able to read their feelings."

"First stages?" Xander squeaked out ,

"Well as it develops the power will become more proficient and will act out all the time to anyone standing near you, a normal demon is able to control this I fear the same will not be true for a human, if it gets to that stage, then touching anyone will overwhelm you completely. We will of course not let the skill develop that far, we will cure you tomorrow I'm sure, now everyone go home and get some rest".

The party broke up and everyone made their way homes, by the time Xander was showered and curled up in bed, the bruises were almost forgotten in wake if his new 'power' and all he could think about was what he had felt from everyone, to feel so acutely what the other was feeling. He had already worked out that the buzz he got from Buffy was her own, after slay adrenaline buzz, the same as the one that Faith had talked so much about and redirected towards him. The calm from Giles was everything he would expect as was the blood lust from Spike, but the pain, so deep it had physically made his chest hurt the more, he had felt so trapped, was that was Spike felt all the time? Insight into a side of the vampire Xander, or any of the scoobies had ever seen, not the snide arrogant punk with a Jones for violence but suppressed, under everything, the real _man_ what was left of the real Spike, of William maybe? Xander fell into a restless sleep with the uneasy thoughts bouncing round his skull.


End file.
